1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for examining a cell by subjecting the cells to an antigen-antibody reaction treatment, then measuring the electrophoretic mobility of the cells by an automatic cell-electrophoresis apparatus to obtain an electrophoretic mobility pattern and comparing the electrophoretic property of the cells under examination with the electrophoretic property of cells of a standard. The present invention also relates to a method for measuring the antibody or the antigen on the cell membrane from the change in properties concomitant with the change of surface charges of the cell before and after the antigen-antibody reaction treatment.
2. Discussion of the Background
For measuring the antigen of the cell surface, a method has been generally used in which the antibody is labeled with a fluorescent substance such as FITC and RITC, and the fluorescence-labeled cells and unlabeled cells are discriminated visually under a fluorescence microscope, or such determination method has been conducted by an automatic apparatus using laser beams such as flow cytometer.
The conventional method using a fluorescence microscope, however, requires skill and complicated operations. It is also time-consuming and further there is the problem in accuracy of measurement because of the dependence on the visual observation. On the other hand, the automatic apparatuses such as flow cytometry and FACS are very elaborate and large-scaled, and require great cost and scrupulous care for their maintenance.
Radioimmunoassays and enzymimmunoassays are high in sensitivity and capable of microanalysis, but these methods, as in the case of fluoroimmunoassay, require the use of a labeled antibody, and since such labeled antibody undergoes a change with time, the preservation of the labeled antibody is difficult. Further, these methods are a time-consuming in a process for pretreatment which requires skill, and further, a specific apparatus must be used for conducting the measurement. Especially radioimmunoassay is attended with danger because of the use of a radioisotope and is also subject to various restrictions in its practice such as the necessity of a specific facility for the treatment of radioisotope.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method for examining cells, which is free of the defects of the conventional methods and which is easy and quick to practice, high in precision and safe in operation.
By the way, cell-electrophoresis is attracting attention as a useful means for examining cellular immunity, and it has been reported that this method can be an effective examination means not only for animals but also for man by analyzing the change of electrophoretic pattern of lymphocytes (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9060/1983).